MCtime

Fixing the September 2022 Java Error

Posted on by Jeff Feiertag

With the Java update of version 1.8.0_341, an error may arise. Here is the way to fix that error:

  • Note the security warning pop-up.
    Java Error Message
  • Check the box at the lower left corner, to indicate you accept the risk associated and click the Run button.
  • Wait for the next pop-up warning screen, as shown below:
  • Click the Run with the latest version button.
  • Wait for the last screen to appear, as shown below:
  • Check box box (labeled Do not show this again) and click the Allow button.
  • Run MCtime, Oracle or whatever other app you had intended when you were originally prompted with this error.

As with anything else tech-related, please do not hesitate to submit a TSR if you still have trouble.

 

Understanding MIS

Posted on by Jeff Feiertag

MCFRS field staffing employees work shiftwork (96 hours in a pay period) and are assigned to a station, shift and Kelly Day (day off).  Each day of the week is assigned a number 1 through 7…Sunday is 1, Monday is 2, Tuesday is 3 and so on.  Shift workers work 24 hours and are off for 48 hours.  Based on that, the employee’s schedule fluctuates each pay period.

When the Kelly Day falls on the employee’s shift to work, the employee is off, meaning they only work 72 hours that pay period.  To make the employee whole and pay them for 96 hours, they are given a MIS Advance of 24 hours (72 + 24 = 96 hours).  When an employee works too many hours in a pay period (5 shifts), a negative MIS of 24 hours is applied to make them whole (120 – 24 = 96 hours).  Some pay periods, an employee will work 96 hours and no adjustment is needed.  The MIS was designed to provide a stabilization of pay for MCFRS employees who don’t work the same number of hours in a standard pay period.

The MIS adjustments are added to the employee’s timecard on the 1st Sunday of the affected pay period and appear on the employee’s payslip under Earnings.

Employees with a Sunday, Wednesday or Saturday Kelly Day never require an MIS adjustment…. they always work 96 hours in a pay period.

Each shift (A, B & C) has a different MIS cycle.

Additional scenarios re: MIS

  • Employees assigned to ECC work 84 hours each pay period and they have triple Kelly Days.
  • Employees assigned to FEI work 84 hours each pay period and they have a Kelly Day equivalent.
  • Employees on long term details or special schedules are given a Kelly Day equivalent.

Field staffing personnel have a 6-week MIS cycle

ECC personnel have a 12-week MIS cycle

FEI personnel have a 8-week MIS cycle

This information comes courtesy of FRS HR. Please contact them if you have any questions or concerns.

Configuring Edge to Work in IE Mode for MCtime on Non-County PCs

Posted on by Jeff Feiertag

Are you hoping to set up Edge at home, so that you may use it to work on timecards? It needs a few tweaks and FRS Technology has tried to simplify the process for you. (Note: Only someone who has administrator rights on a PC can perform this process successfully.)

  • Download the file Edge-IE.zip from the tech training website. Remember where you save it on your computer, such as the Windows desktop or the Downloads folder.
  • Find and double-click the file to open it in an unzip utility (such as 7-Zip or WinZip).
    Zip folder
  • Double-Click the Edge-IE folder folder to expand it.
    Zip folder expanded
  • Press Ctrl-A on your keyboard to select all of the files.
  • Click the Extract button and either choose a new location or proceed with the default location to save the files (which will likely be the same location you selected earlier).
  • Close the zip utility.
  • Open a folder (through the File explorer or any other desktop folder) and go to the location where you just extracted your files.
  • Double-click the file called EdgeIEMode.bat.
  • Open Edge and access timecards as needed.

Troubleshooting MCtime’s “Failed to Validate Certificate” Error Message

Posted on by Jeff Feiertag

Are you an officer on a county computer and seeing a failed to validate certificate error message like the one below?

MCtime Failed Certificate Error Message

Try this fix:

  • Close your web browser (Internet Explorer or Edge).
  • Find the Windows flag at the bottom-left corner of the screen.
  • Type Java and press the Enter key on your keyboard.
  • Click Configure Java from the search results and the Java Control Panel options box will appear.
  • Change to the Advanced tab at the top of the window.
    Java Advanced Options Dialog Box
  • Scroll down until you see Perform signed code certificate revocation checks on in the list. It is halfway down the list, perhaps more.
  • Click to select Do not check (not recommended) and click the OK button at the bottom of the screen.
  • Open a folder on your Windows desktop (File Explorer or other folder) and click the View tab.Windows View Ribbon
  • Ensure that the Hidden Items checkbox is checked. If it is not, check it.
  • Navigate to the following location:
    C:\Users\[your username]\AppData\LocalLow\Sun\Java\Deployment
  • Find the file called deployment.properties.
  • Right-click it and choose Open (or Open With, if that is the option) from the list. You will likely be prompted as to which program should open the file. Choose Notepad and click the OK button. (If you do not see Notepad listed, click the MoreApps link to find Notepad.)
  • Find the line that reads deployment.security.mixcode=HIDE_RUN and place your cursor after the word RUN.
  • Press the Enter key to create a blank line.
  • type the following into the blank line:
    deployment.security.revocation.check=NO_CHECK
  • Do not make any other changes to the file!
  • Access the File menu and choose Save.
  • Close the deployment.properties file.
  • Start your browser and try to access MCtime.

If you are still stuck at that point, please fill out a Technology Service Request and FRS Technology will help you as quickly as we can.

 

 

 

Troubleshooting MCtime Java/Manager Version

Posted on by Jeff Feiertag

Note: These directions were updated on 03/29/2022.

As Java changes often present MCtime troubleshooting opportunities for managers, here is a guideline for you. Please remember that FRS Technology is always available and happy to help, though. If you would like assistance, please fill out a Tech Service Request (per FCGO 21-02) and select Applications/Software – Web Based for the Nature of Problem (category) field.

The list below is a progressive set of directions and you may need to check MCtime as you go along — what may resolve the issue for one computer may require more steps for another. Also, please remember to use Microsoft Edge. Again, to stress the point, let FRS Technology know if you would like assistance at any time.

Software Center (if there are Java-related items)

  • Locate and run MCG Software Center on your Windows desktop.
  • Install the latest version of Java (JRE) and User Check.

Software Center (if there are not Java-related items)

  • Follow these directions to update Software Center, to show Java-related items. (The directions should open in a new tab. return here when finished.)
  • Wait five minutes.
  • Locate and run MCG Software Center on your Windows desktop.
  • Install the latest version of Java (JRE) and User Check.

Attempt #1: Test MCtime

  • Try to access MCtime and log in. See if you can pull up a timecard to edit successfully. if you cannot, continue down this troubleshooting list.
    Note: If you are telecommuting, ensure that you are connected to the VPN before continuing to troubleshoot with the Software Center.

Deployment Text File

  • Open a Windows folder (either through File Explorer or any folder you have in Windows).
  • Navigate to C:\Users\[your_username]\App Data\Local Low\Sun\JAVA\Deployment\ and delete the deployment text file.

Attempt #2: Test MCtime

  • Try to access MCtime and log in. See if you can pull up a timecard to edit successfully. if you cannot, continue down this troubleshooting list.
    Note: If you are telecommuting, ensure that you are connected to the VPN before continuing to troubleshoot with the Software Center.

Taking a Substitute Holiday

Posted on by Jeff Feiertag

If a county holiday falls on your regular day off, you need to take another day off (using holiday lave, not your annual/sick/comp leave) within the same pay period.

Scenario: Christmas Day (12/25) falls on a Friday and the employee works every other Friday in his normal schedule. 12/25 happens to coincide with that regular day off. The total number of hours in the preloaded MCtime timecard shows zero (0.0) hours on 12/25.

MCtime Date Showing Zero Hours for the Holiday

  • Add a row.
  • Change the Pay Code from Hours Worked to Hol – Holiday Leave.
  • Put in the number of hours for a full work day in the date of your choice (again, it must be in the same pay period). This applies whether you work 8, 9 or 10 hours on your regular schedule.
  • Delete the preloaded number of hours worked for the date you have chosen.
  • Save your timecard.

MCtime Holiday Hours Swapped to Another Day

Do you want to see more? Here is a link for the official documentation on this topic from the county MCtime office.

Requesting a Timecard Correction

Posted on by Jeff Feiertag

Is something wrong on your timecard, as an employee?  Are you an officer or manager and one of your employees needs a change to his/her timecard from three weeks ago? There is a specific process to follow and you have come to the right place for the details. The actual paperwork has to be completed by the manager. For uniform personnel at the rank of captain and below, the battalion chief will also need to sign off on the paperwork before it goes to FRS HR.

First things first: FRS HR has an important message for you to read, located here as well as via Quicklinks (HR Division menu, HR & Labor Relations list, MCtime Timecard Correction Request Info link).

Step 1: Go to the MCtime Timecard Correction Request form, located in Quicklinks (same menu item as above but second link on the same bullet) or in MCtime (MCtime home page after you log in, go to the My Links section and the subsequent MCtime Info forms).

Step 2: Fill out the form on-screen as follows:

  • Date Requested: The current date
  • Employee Name: Last Name, First Name
  • Employee #: This is not the person’s fire ID — this is the HR ID, which the employee will find in MCtime in parentheses next to his/her name
  • Department Name: Fire and Rescue
  • Department #: 45
  • Manager Name: The employee’s direct supervisor
  • Phone #: The phone number by which the direct supervisor may be reached
  • Manager’s Signature: (Wait until you print the filled-out form and then sign the form for your employee)
  • Battalion Chief Name and Signature: (Print the BC’s name and then ask the BC to sign the printed copy)
  • Pay Period Begins: The beginning date of the pay period for which you are requesting a change
  • Pay Period Ends: The ending date of the pay period for which you are requesting a change
  • Describe Change Required: Type a generic overview of the change without specific dates or transfer codes (those details will be input in the table below the description)
  • Add or Delete Checkebox: Check the box

Scenario 1: Your employee took 24 hours of ANL three weeks ago and (oops) meant for the time to be comp leave.

  • Fill in the appropriate data from the bullet list above and then the specifics in the table:

 

 

  • Note that there are no transfer codes (Cost Center, Project Task, Expenditure or Reason) for changes that did not involve the transfer codes in MCtime.

Scenario 2: Your employee work 24 hours of overtime but neglected to add it to the timecard.

  • Fill in the appropriate data from the bullet list above and then the specifics in the table:MCtime Payroll Correction Example 2

 

 

Scenario 3: Your employee was paid for the holiday (HDP) but prefers comp leave (CLH).

  • Discuss the issue with the employee: Having already been paid for the holiday and received the money from the county, changing to comp leave at this point will result in Payroll telling the employee to pay the money back to the county. If the employee still wants to earn comp leave instead of pay for the holiday, proceed to the next step.
  • Fill in the appropriate data from the bullet list above and then the specifics in the table:MCtime Payroll Correction Example 3

 

 

 

One final note: Multiple correction requests you input on a form must fall within the same pay period and for the same employee. If you need to request changes that span across more than one pay period, use additional forms.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Documenting Details off the Floor in MCtime (Manager Version)

Posted on by Jeff Feiertag

Scenario: Your employee was detailed off the floor for part of a shift. You are now reviewing the timecard in MCtime.

Background: The department is now tracking details off the floor in MCtime, so that we can associate a dollar figure with the overtime required to backfill the detail. Also, any request for details will now be entered in a separate form and approved (or not) by a division chief. The approval form includes a specific reason code, as noted in the following process. See the bottom of this TechTip for a sample approval Click here to view the employee side of this TechTip.

The Timecard:

Timecard with Code for Detail and OT

 

 

 

The Explanation:

  • The first line (Hours Worked with a Transfer code) was originally 24 hours on Monday and was the employee’s normal shift.
  • The employee was detailed off the floor (dayside) to EMS at PSHQ and told to use FRS060EA as the Reason Code.
  • The second line, on Monday, shows ten hours for the detail toward the Reason Code.
  • The second line, on Wednesday, shows five hours in which the employee worked overtime using the same Reason Code.

Notes:

  • Do not assume that anything with a Reason Code is overtime; moving forward, that is no longer a safe assumption.
  • Take note of the Totals & Schedule tab in MCtime. As noted in the two screenshots below, Total Hrs Toward Schedule will be broken up by code. The first screenshot is for the daily view (10 hours and 14 hours) and the second screenshot is for the entire pay period (10 hours and 86 hours).

    Daily View:
    Totals & Schedule Tab

    All:

    Totals & Schedule Tab

Documenting Details off the Floor in MCtime (Employee Version)

Posted on by Jeff Feiertag

Scenario: You have been detailed off the floor for part of your shift and need to record those hours in MCtime.

Background: The department is now tracking details off the floor in MCtime, so that we can associate a dollar figure with the overtime required to backfill the detail. Also, any request for the detail will now be entered in a separate form and approved (or not) by a division chief. The approval form will include a specific reason code, to be used in the following process. See the bottom of this TechTip for a sample approval message.

The Process for the Employee Showing the Detail in MCtime:

  • Wait until after 0830 hours the day after the detail (to allow for any leave taken to import from TeleStaff).
  • Open MCtime.
  • Add a row.
  • Input the time spent on the detail for the date of your shift.
  • Add a reason code in the Transfer column (using a search, as you would to look up the code for overtime) for the detail. When the officer originally filled out the form to request your detail, (s)he provided a reason code and it would have been included in the approval e-mail message (s)he received (and hopefully forwarded to you). If you do not know what reason code to use, ask your officer.
  • Change the standard hours worked from 24.0 to whatever the difference is after you subtract your detail time. In the example screen shot below, the firefighter was detailed to work on EMS activities at PSHQ for 10 hours and so the new time spent on shift is 14.Reason Code and Time for a Detail

 

 

 

Notes:

  • Remember that any change you make to purple text (your default schedule) will change from purple to black and move to a different line. If you take any leave during the remaining time on your shift, TeleStaff data will import (the next day at 0800 hours) but the time on leave will not deduct from the hours worked automatically. You will need to subtract it on your own and edit the time card. TeleStaff data only makes automatic changes to time reflected in purple. If you wait until after 0800 on the day after the detail, though, the TeleStaff import works smoothly.
  • Note that overtime spent on different days in the same week with the same code will occur on the same row. There is currently no way to distinguish detailed time from overtime, except that the rest of your time spent on shift will appear as Hours Worked.

Sample Approval E-Mail Message:

Sample Authorization Message